The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) is returning to the “drawing board” to overhaul its traffic management strategies after recent data ranked the Philippines as the most traffic-congested country in Asia.
MMDA General Manager Nicolas Torre III announced on Thursday that the agency is seeking scientific and data-driven solutions to address the worsening gridlock.
The move follows the 2025 TomTom Traffic Index, which highlighted Manila and Davao City as among the most congested urban areas globally.
“Because of that TomTom data, we are back to the drawing board,” Torre told reporters during an inspection in Valenzuela City.
To facilitate this, the MMDA is partnering with the University of the Philippines’ Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards) and the National Center for Transportation Studies (NCTS) to analyze traffic patterns and identify effective interventions.
Torre emphasized that the agency will prioritize “traffic engineering” and incremental improvements rather than grand promises.
He noted that a major focus would be on rapid response and clearing operations, setting a goal to respond to road accidents within five minutes and clear obstructions within 15 minutes to prevent secondary bottlenecks.
The agency is also exploring the use of visual simulators and crowdsourced data to better understand and manage the flow of vehicles across the National Capital Region.
“We cannot promise the moon and the stars, but we will do our best to alleviate the suffering and hardship of our countrymen in what they experience every day on our roads,” Torre said.